It is not immediately clear why those lead levels were not disclosed publicly until Thursday — four or more months after the problems were discovered.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, babies, children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure. In homes where the tap water has an elevated level of lead, the CDC recommends using bottled water or water from a filtration system that has been certified by an independent testing organization to reduce or eliminate lead for cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula.

According to a prepared news release from the city of Belton, the level of lead found in the water during that June to September period was 0.058 milligrams per liter. The public must be notified when lead levels reach 0.015 milligrams per liter of water. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control notified the city of the lead problem, and will be responsible for monitoring the actions needed to correct it.

A spokesman for DHEC said late Thursday that he is gathering more information about the water issues in Belton and could not immediately comment.

The City of Belton announced late Thursday that elevated levels of lead had been found in the drinking water in some homes and businesses during a monitoring period between June and September 2018.(Photo11: Star Press)

Belton buys its water from the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority and does not do further treatment on it after that, City Manager Alan Sims told the Independent Mail late Thursday.

The city said in a prepared release that officials are "working with the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority to address this lead action level exceedance."

The city's water has typically been tested for lead every three years, Sims said. When the water was last tested in 2015, samples were taken from 37 houses. Lead levels found then were such that they did not require public notice, city officials said.

"The City in discussions with the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority has determined that the only change to the drinking water treatment process since the 2015 lead testing was a change in the coagulant chemical used to treat the drinking water," the city said in its prepared statement Thursday.

The city has been monitoring the lead and copper in its drinking water since the a program for monitoring was started by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The 2018 violation is the first that Belton has had, according to city officials.

Because of the city's lead violation, Belton's water quality will now be tested every six months, Sims said.

Sims said he believes the lead issue is mostly affecting homes with older plumbing.

For more information on reducing lead exposure around your home/building and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/lead, call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791, or contact your health care provider.